Chapter 15 - Exploring Meaning through Translanguaging Practices  

Kailin Liu

Julie Choi

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47133/tegc_ch15  


ABSTRACT

Translanguaging is a perspective in language education that welcomes learners to use their own knowledge resources while learning to make meaning through their languages. In the context of teaching multilingual learners, some might think this simply means allowing learners to translate ideas between two languages. However, such translation from Language A to Language B does not fully reflect the complex processes of how multilingual learners make meaning. In this chapter, you will learn about a multilingual learner who enacted translanguaging practices to explore the meaning and use of an English word (which inherently incorporated translation). You will learn how translanguaging practices can expand your learners’ meaning-making repertoire. You will also learn how to apply translanguaging practices in your teaching and learning context. 

Keywords: translanguaging, making meaning, translating, multilingual learners, learning context 

How to cite this chapter: 

Liu, K. & Choi, J. (2023). Exploring Meaning Through Translanguaging Practices. In V. Canese & S. Spezzini (Eds.), Teaching English in Global Contexts, Language, Learners and Learning (pp. 188-197). Editorial Facultad de Filosofía, UNA. https://doi.org/10.47133/tegc_ch15

INTRODUCTION

Multilingual learners use diverse language and knowledge resources to make meaning. They often expand their meaning-making repertoire through a process called translanguaging (Canagarajah 2011; Cenoz & Gorter, 2020; García & Wei, 2014). Although the translanguaging process includes translation, the way in which multilingual learners negotiate meaning involves more than simply translating ideas between languages. The following example shows how Kailin (first author) used translanguaging to explore the meaning of “besides” (Choi & Liu, 2021).

Kailin was unaware of having incorrectly used “besides.” She had learned that “besides” and “in addition” both meant lingwai (adding a point) in Chinese. She did not know that “besides” is a connective used orally to provide a reason to justify or persuade (e.g., I didn’t come because my mum didn’t allow me. Besides, I felt sick.). Upon discovering her misuse, Kailin read sample sentences and noticed that her original understanding of “besides” did not always fit (e.g., We save a lot. Yet we are not obsessed with money. Besides, who doesn’t love money?). She tried understanding this passage by imagining a social context (e.g., people fighting over money). She left a blank for “besides” and translated the passage to Chinese with emotions fitting that context. When the Chinese zaishuo emerged, Kailin realized that “besides” had another meaning. She compared lingwai and zaishuo in the same Chinese passage and noticed that “in addition” (lingwai) is for adding a point, and “besides” (zaishuo) is for providing a persuasive reason.

Kailin’s problem-solving process demonstrates how exploring meaning is more than simply translating ideas from Language A to Language B. Rather, it is a complex process called translanguaging, which involves diverse knowledge and strategies to negotiate and expand meaning. To help you better understand and employ translanguaging, we first discuss historical insights (with some theoretical considerations) and then provide pedagogical applications.   

BACKGROUND

The concept of translanguaging emerged in the 1980s in Welsh-English bilingual education contexts (Cenoz & Gorter, 2020). Translated from the Welsh term trawsieithu, translanguaging describes pedagogical practices that purposefully and systematically use two languages for teaching and learning within the same lesson. For example, students may be asked to read and listen in one language and then to speak and write in another language. By doing so, they develop proficiencies in both languages. 

Since then, the concept of translanguaging has expanded to cover multilinguals’ use of diverse linguistic, semiotic, and multimodal resources in various contexts. Translanguaging challenges the perspective of language that situates languages as separate and standardized systems like neatly contained boxes in our mind. Instead, translanguaging views language as a fluid social practice, where we, as multilinguals, draw on different language features and resources in our unitary repertoire to make meaning based on our needs and social contexts (García & Li Wei, 2014). An example of translanguaging is how multilinguals, when reading an article in a second language, might naturally use first language resources, knowledge, and strategies for taking notes. In terms of pedagogy, translanguaging values the whole knowledge repertoire that teachers and learners bring into the classroom and views this as facilitative for language teaching and learning. 

MAJOR DIMENSIONS

Implementing meaningful practices of translanguaging is neither easy nor straightforward. To achieve effective translanguaging, consider the following dimensions. 

Understanding Translation as a Translanguaging Practice

Translation is usually seen as transferring meaning from Language A to Language B. However, translanguaging allows us to think more complexly about translation. From the translanguaging perspective, translation is not a simple transfer of meaning from A to B. Rather, it is a complex social practice that uses diverse linguistic and cultural resources, knowledge, and skills to interpret and make meaning. During this process, emerging bilinguals are not simply transferring meaning but also changing and diversifying meanings. For instance, you and your classmates may find the same dictionary definition for a word. Yet, as different individuals, each of you brings your own unique interpretations, understandings, competencies, and histories, which, in turn, diversify meaning at the moment of translation. 

We see translation as an essential part of translanguaging. Translation is not simply the product of moving from Language A to Language B but rather a complex process of combining knowledge and skills through translanguaging. If your goal as language educators is to help students expand their meaning-making repertoire, examine what your learners have translated, and, of greater importance, seek to understand how your learners went about translating, what meanings they tried to make, and how they made those meanings. While doing this, identify your students’ competencies and limitations and then target your teaching on your students’ language level for assisting them to negotiate and expand meaning. 

Understanding Learners’ Language and Literacy Practices

To better meet your learners’ needs, develop a rich understanding of their language and literacy practices and then design appropriate multilingual activities. Identify what languages your learners speak, how they use these languages in their everyday lives, and why they use them in these ways. Because such information is often not reachable through surveys and questionnaires, create a fuller picture by doing language portraits, language mapping, and trajectory grids.

Language Portraits (Busch, 2012). Give learners the silhouette of a body printed on a piece of paper. Invite learners to map languages that shape who they are on this silhouette and give reasons for their mapping. For example, languages for expressing emotions might be mapped at their heart and languages for doing studies might be mapped at their brain. This activity allows you to learn about learners’ resources, beliefs, and experiences with different languages.

Language Mapping (Dutton et al., 2018). Learners make a visual representation about their language and literacy practices by using questions: Who do you usually talk with? How do you communicate? In what languages do you communicate, when and where? This activity can help you and your learners understand how they use language resources for social purposes in different places.

Language Trajectory Grids (Choi & Slaughter, 2021). Learners plot their language practices, emotions, and life circumstances onto a chronological grid and give a detailed account of their language history. This activity can help you and your students understand the complexity of their language journeys as multilinguals.

Understanding Your Teaching and Learning Context 

To create a balance between work expectations and translanguaging practices, develop a deep understanding of your teaching and learning context. This includes knowing the challenges, possibilities, and opportunities in your workplace. Given explicit monolingual policies in many institutions, translanguaging and translation might not be welcomed, encouraged, or understood. Develop a socio-political awareness of how language practices are viewed in this institution, who benefits from such views, who can become excluded, how these views are shaped, and how these views might shift. This understanding is important not just for yourself but especially for your learners because many might feel obligated to leave their non-English competencies outside the school. To identify opportunities to support students’ multilingual practices, carefully examine the curriculum, materials, policies, time, setting, and language ideologies. Open a safe zone for learners to value all their languages as learning resources and help them with translanguaging practices. In turn, this will help you implement associated multilingual pedagogies.  

Understanding Language and Pedagogy

Finally, further develop your understanding of language and pedagogy. To extend learners’ meaning-making repertoires, develop an explicit knowledge of English form, meaning, and use in various contexts. This includes (but is not limited to) phonology, lexicography, syntax, discourse, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, and communicative strategies. Reach an understanding of how second language learning and teaching work together. For helping learners use their multilingual resources to make meaning through translanguaging, implement the pedagogical approaches and strategies described in the next section. 

PEDAGOGICAL APPLICATIONS

To help your learners use translanguaging to extend their meaning-making repertoires, consider implementing these practices.

Design Meaning-Based Problem-Solving Tasks 

To better help learners investigate and negotiate meaning, design problem-solving tasks. These tasks should have sufficient flexibility for students to apply multilingual resources in natural and meaningful ways. Avoid pressuring learners to use a specific language. Instead, have learners follow the process Kailin used to explore the meaning of “besides” (Choi & Liu, 2021). To do this, identify words that are puzzling or challenging for your learners. Have students explore the meanings of targeted words in various contexts. Regardless of whether learners use translation to solve a linguistic problem, have learners discuss these meanings and share their problem-solving practices. For example, ask learners: 

Encourage learners to create sentences in relevant contexts that include the targeted words. If learners struggle to solve this problem, encourage them to use some of multilingual strategies described in this chapter. 

Support Translanguaging Practices Through Multimodalities 

To support learners’ translanguaging practices, help them use multimodalities, such as signs and semiotics (symbolic communication). Connect language, color, music, body movements, creativity, and emotions to help learners expand vocabulary, build metalinguistic and meta-semiotic awareness, and engage in a richer and more sensory literacy experience (Ollerhead, 2019). For instance, to help students expand vocabulary to describe moods, consider using colors to stimulate thought. First, have students brainstorm as many color words as possible in their first language, describe what these colors represent for them, and explain how these colors can make them feel and think. Then encourage students to work together collaboratively with translating these color words into English. Finally, have students share with the whole class. Such activities create rich opportunities to negotiate meaning and facilitate learner engagement. 

Build on Learners’ Existing Translation Practices

To build on learners’ existing translation practices, ask them about the translation processes they used to negotiate and facilitate meaning. For example, ask questions such as the following: 

Some learners might have translated by using Google Translate, and others might have done so by using various digital resources and other strategies. Determine how learners applied these practices to create meaning and were then able to identify possible limitations for extending these practices. Show them how to explore meaning by using different types of online dictionaries (e.g., monolingual, bilingual) and, also, how to do so by using corpus sites (https://www.english-corpora.org/iweb/). Design tasks for learners to use these new practices. Guide your learners in using these practices to negotiate and explore the meaning of words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs in the types of contexts being examined. Among these tasks and practices, none would require that you know the first languages spoken by your learners.

Implement Translation Tasks to Facilitate Negotiation of Meaning

Finally, implement translation tasks to support learners with exploring how meaning is created, negotiated, and diversified during the translanguaging process. For example, Kim (2011) suggested that learners can have their writing translated by a peer who shares a common language (other than English). Together, they can use the following questions to reflect on their respective meaning-making processes:

For the writer: How accurate was your partner’s translation of your writing? Was there any miscommunication? If so, where was it and what do you think caused it?

For the translator: How clear was your partner’s writing? Are there any areas where you think your partner needs to clarify? 

Additionally, guide learners to create and compare their individual translations. Pacheco et al. (2015) explained how such practice can be conducted to deepen learners’ reading comprehension of target texts, and Kiernan et al. (2016) showed the possibility of creating and comparing translations to develop audience awareness and metalinguistic knowledge. French (2019) suggested a series of tasks such as comparative song analysis to help learners utilize translation to explore how meanings are made in their everyday lives. Regardless of the form taken by these tasks, help learners focus on translation as a translanguaging practice, discuss the intended and conveyed meaning, and explain how this meaning was accomplished.

In this chapter, you have learned that translanguaging is a meaning-making process used by multilinguals and that translation is inherent within this translanguaging process. You learned about the need to understand your learners’ languages and literacy practices and your own teaching and learning context. You also learned how to design meaning-based problem-solving tasks, support translanguaging through multimodalities, build on learners’ existing translation practices, and implement translation to negotiate and facilitate meaning.

KEY CONCEPTS

Here are some key concepts about translanguaging:


DISCUSSING

Based on your new knowledge about translanguaging, answer these questions:

TAKING ACTION

To practice what you have learned about translanguaging, do the following:

EXPANDING FURTHER

SEE ALSO

Aspects related to translanguaging are also addressed in the following chapters of this book:

Chapter 2 The Diversity of Global Englishes by L. Barratt

Chapter 7 Embracing Young Learners by M. Gandolfo, B. Damiani, and L. Caperochipe

Chapter 10 Building Language Awareness by H. Lalwani

Chapter 11 Using Social Media to Enhance Language Awareness by S. Terol and J. Amarilla

Chapter 23 Integrating Technology in Language Classrooms by H. Hubbard, A. Foss, and C. Strawn

Chapter 31 Using Translation and Interpretation in ELT by S. Terol

Chapter 38 A Socio-Cultural Approach to Teaching Grammar by C. Davies, J. Prado, and J. Austin 

Chapter 45 Strategies to Teaching Vocabulary by G. Dean-Fastnacht

Chapter 50 Developing Intercultural Competencies by L. Rojas 

REFERENCES

Busch, B. (2012). The linguistic repertoire revisited. Applied Linguistics, 33(5), 503–523. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/ams056

Canagarajah, S. (2011). Codemeshing in academic writing: Identifying teachable strategies of translanguaging. The Modern Language Journal, 95(3), 401–417. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01207.x 

Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2020, August). Pedagogical translanguaging: An introduction. System, 92, 102269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102269

Choi, J., & Liu, K. (2021, November). Knowledge building through collaborative, translanguaging and translation practices. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2021.1974866

Choi, J., & Slaughter, Y. (2021). Challenging discourses of deficit: Understanding the vibrancy and complexity of multilingualism through language trajectory grids. Language Teaching Research, 25(1), 81–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820938825

Dutton, J., D'warte, J., Rossbridge, J., & Rushton, K. (2018). Tell me your story: Confirming identity and engaging writers in the middle years. Primary English Teaching Association Australia.

French, M. (2019). Multilingual pedagogies in practice. TESOL in Context, 28(1), 21–44. https://doi.org/10.21153/tesol2019vol28no1art869

García, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism, and bilingual education. Palgrave Macmillan.

Kiernan, J., Meier, J., & Wang, X. (2016). Negotiating languages and cultures: Enacting translingualism through a translation assignment. Composition Studies, 44(1), 89–107. https://www.jstor.org/stable/compstud.44.1.0089 

Kim, E. Y. (2011). Using translation exercises in the communicative EFL writing classroom. ELT Journal, 65(2), 154–160. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccq039

Ollerhead, S. (2019). Teaching across semiotic modes with multilingual learners: Translanguaging in an Australian classroom. Language and Education, 33(2), 106–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2018.1516780

Pacheco, M. B., David, S. S., & Jiménez, R. T. (2015). Translating pedagogies: Leveraging students’ heritage languages in the literacy classroom. Middle Grades Research Journal, 10(1), 49–63.

about the authors

Kailin Liu is an English language teacher at a government secondary school in Melbourne, Australia. Kailin holds a master’s degree in applied linguistics and a master’s in secondary education with a specialization in teaching Mandarin and English as an additional language. She has published in the Journal of Language, Identity & Education and presented at the 2021 American Association for Applied Linguistics Conference. Her professional interests include language and identity and, also, multilingual pedagogies for language education. 

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8153-1465  

Email for correspondence regarding this chapter: kailin.whale@gmail.com 

Julie Choi is senior lecturer in education (additional languages) in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on pedagogies that promote cultural and linguistic diversity, inclusion, and equity. Julie co-edited the books Language and Culture: Reflective Narratives and the Emergence of Identity, and Plurilingualism in Teaching and Learning: Complexities in Contexts. She is sole author of Creating a Multivocal Self: Autoethnography as Method.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3047-092X 

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